June 4, 1984: Golf legend Arnold Palmer failed to make the US Open for the first time in 32 years. Palmer shot 72-74-146 during qualifiers, and failed to make the cut of 144. Palmer won the US Open in 1960 and was runner up four times.
June 5, 1955: New York Yankees great Mickey Mantle hits 550’ home run off of White Sox pitcher Billy Pierce. During the fourth inning of the second game of a doubleheader, Pierce threw a fastball that Mantle knocked so far out of Comiskey Park in Chicago, that it passed the 360-foot mark, over the 16-foot roof and smashed the windshield of a car outside.
June 6, 1976: The Boston Celtics beat the Phoenix Suns 87-80 in Phoenix to win Game 6 and take the series. It was their 13th NBA Championship. Charlie Scott scored 25 points with 11 rebounds, and Dave Cowens added 21 points with 17 rebounds.
June 6, 2007: They may have removed the “mighty” from their name, but during their first season as simply the “Ducks”, Anaheim won their first Stanley Cup in history, defeating Ottawa in Game 5 to take the series 4-1. Anaheim won 6-2 in front of their home crowd at the Honda Center.
June 7, 1989: On June 7, 1989, Wayne Gretzky, the greatest hockey player in history, won his ninth Hart Trophy, the NHL’s MVP award, while with the Kings. Not only was it his ninth, an all-time record that still stands, it was also his ninth in ten seasons, losing the title the previous year to Mario Lemieux of the Penguins.
June 7, 1994: Rickey Henderson, nicknamed “The Man of Steal,” steals his 1,100th career base while playing for the Oakland As. The As won the game against the Brewers 6-5; Henderson scored a single run. He’s still the leader in all-time stolen bases, with 1,406.
June 8, 1961: On June 8, 1961, the Milwaukee Brewers were facing the Cincinnati Reds. In the top of the seventh inning, Eddie Mathews, Hank Aaron, Joe ADcock and Frank Thomas hit four consecutive home runs off of two separate pitchers to set the consecutive home runs record. Milwaukee, though, still lost the game. The record has been tied, but so far no team has broken it.
June 8, 1969: The New York Yankees retired the great Mickey Mantle’s no. jersey 7. Mantle, who played his entire career for the Bronx Bombers, was a three time AL MVP, 7-time World Series Champion and a Triple Crown winner.
Notable birthdays
June 5, 1941 New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft was born in Brookline, Massachusetts
June 5, 1945 John Carlos, American track and field athlete who is known for making the black power salute at the 1968 Mexico Olympics.
June 7, 1975 Former NBA star Allen Iverson
June 7, 1981 Former tennis star Anna Kournikova
We bid farewell to…
June 10, 2016 “Mr. Hockey” Gordie Howe passed away from old age
